Could a Samurai with Katana Beat a Musketeer with Rapier?

This is a "what if" duel that was historically possible, and it's essentially a match of polar opposites.

The rapier has superior reach and quick, agile thrusts, while the katana delivers more powerful cuts and has the upper hand at close distance. Overall quite a high-risk fight.. assuming an unarmored duel. A battlefield scenario or an unexpected self-defense encounter on the street would be a different story.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of each, and what would happen if the fighters swapped swords? Lots to cover, so let's delve right in!

The reproductions shown here:

Shirasaya katana by Hanwei

Tizona - 17th century Spanish cup-hilt rapier by LK Chen

Saxony German rapier by LK Chen

Munich Town Guard sword by LK Chen

Video credits:

How Would a Katana Swordmaster Fight with a Rapier? by @letsasksekisensei

Katana vs Rapier Sparring - Burak vs Nick by @AcademyofHistoricalFencing

Related videos:

Can a Rapier Defeat Mail Armor? - Let's Test and Find Out!

Why Some Rapiers are "Too" Flexible... (Are They?)

The Most Expensive Sword I've Ever Reviewed!

Katana VS Longsword... The Truth Ain't so Sad!

Stabby Time! - Straight vs. Curved Swords on Ballistic Gel

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[TraderKentaro]

Watching the rapier from the front really gave the idea how fearsome this weapon is. You can hardly see the sword. It's like an invisible weapon.

[sommeone]

I like how the historically accurate version of this battle is "Who would win? A samurai with a gun or a musketeer with a gun?"

[ProcyonDei]

You also have to remember that Seki Sensei is only familiar with Japanese weapons, so he was using the foil based on what felt natural to him, the fact that some of his movements reflected actual rapier and side sword techniques show that A) Seki Sensei is such a skilled swordsman that he is able to use a weapon effectively even if he's not very familiar with it. And B) Rapier type weapons are so specialized that their purpose comes almost instinctively...

[Calithilhel]

I honestly like when you do "weapon vs weapon" videos because your contemplative and thorough approach does justice to both weapons and you consider not just the weapons but the context of the warriors, very satisfying videos.

I also really like Seki-sensei, afaik he's genuine and those clips of him are of him experimenting and learning rather than "demonstrating", they always welcome comments that correct or inform his interpretations of western weapons.

[robertusaugustus]

As a knuckle dragging lonsgsworder, I’ve been clowned on by rapier fencers my entire life. Even if I’m using a really big longsword the rapierist will consistently outreach me and nail me with a thrust to the shoulder or face. The very few times I’ve managed to land hits against them were by very aggressively closing to grabbin distance and either striking with the pommel (gently) or push/pull slices in halfsword; and even then sometimes they’ll just retreat and annihilate my fingers with a cut. Rapiers are honestly terrifying.

[P-Likan]

I personally think that the rapier has the advantage in an unarmored duel because it was designed specifically for that.. its longer range, precise and super quick thrusts ( face, heart, liver, throat, lungs, piercing through that just once is a death sentence more often than not, either instantly or through internal hemorrhage or simply paralyzes you on hit for a follow up ) and the full hand protection are a very significant advantage IMHO.
Whereas the Katana is more of an all rounder, a weapon better suited to deal with a variety of situations ( can deal with surprise attacks with its fast draws especially in confined spaces, more versatile if faced with more than one opponent because it can deliver deep cuts very quickly and has a lower chance to stay stuck as the opponent grabs the rapier blade that just pierced his body while his friend finishes you off, it can also be carried at all times without being too cumbersome, can cut/pierce through slightly better protections than plain clothes over human flesh and has more authority/use at very close range when almost grappling).
I think the katana should be compared to a medieval short bastard sword or a longsword because the Japanese equivalent for a specialized duel weapon like the rapier would probably be the kusarigama but it is not a sword type of weapon even though it has a bladed element.

[f.ah.c]

I really like this video. Clearly is a " reaction" to Seki senssei's video, but it isnt just a guy looking at something and making small comentary, it tries to expand on the subject, it is researched prior recording and is formatted beyond just Skalagrim sitting in front of monitor. Really cool.

[johannestetzelivonrosador]

Haven't watched yet but I'm guessing it depends

[santoven]

Thanks! Love your videos. God bless you!

[NightmareRY]

What people think would happen if a samurai and musketeer dueled: "cool sword fight"

What would actually happen: "the good, the bad and the ugly soundtrack starts playing for a gun showdown".

[mogeleo]

The stance you showed holding the katana upright like a baseball bat is called "hasso" in Japanese. It is almost never used in competitive play because of the reach issue you identified; however, it was apparently more useful in real-world combat. Because a katana is less tiring to hold upright than sideways, the stance allows the user to stay combat-ready for longer, which is particularly important when one does not know in advance how long the battle will last, e.g. when one suspects an ambush. The compactness of the stance is also helpful in close quarters, like indoor brawls or many-to-many battles. Finally, if the user is wearing Japanese armor, the arm guard would block the throat and heart from enemy thrusts.

[sw]

Trained with both years ago. In 1 on 1 settings when we played around with rapier types vs katana types, the rapier and fighting styles that come with it provided enough of an advantage that relative novices with rapiers were beating experienced bushido.

Several vs several though the cutting prowess of katanas really showed once the groups got past holding a solid line. People would spread out in an attempt to keep some distance, and when there's several people doing that, it was easier for the bushido to swing and hit someone who wasn't facing them directly.

We weren't collectively trained for military formations though, so can't really say either side was effectively using their weapons for that scenario.

[t.b.cont.]

Rapiers are incredible for out spacing an opponent for what they are. A proficient rapier duelist isn’t gonna get himself hit by any other sword user unless they clearly outmatch him in skill. Rapiers became THE duelling sword for very good reason, they’re pretty much designed for the purpose of having the most advantage in reach and defence of any contemporary sword. In an unarmored match though, I imagine the katana would do a much nastier blow if it’s user were to find a way through or around the rapier user’s guards and maneuverability.

[i_am_person]

As a medium level fencer(really only did about two years each of foil and epee) it's interesting to see how someone who's not my coach explain rapier combat

[chrisfonseca]

I'm probably late to the party but having a musketeer and a samurai swap weapons would be a funny fight to see.

[adambielen]

I believe that Matt Easton made a video where he read historical letters/documents describing how each side viewed this exact match up. If I recall correctly the European side's biggest comment was that once a thrust was landed back up quick because the Samurai will run down the blade to land a cut. Whereas the Japanese side talked about how to bind the Rapier too close in safely or the Raperist will just stab the Samurai to death.

[kazanshin]

Your videos are always amazing, Skall! You're confident and knowledgeable, but also humble and honest enough to admit when you're out of your area of expertise. It'd be great if you could discuss a topic like this by bringing over someone with Kenjutsu training.

[alexrain]

I wish I could find the video but an Olympic fence and a master of kendo once had such a duel. They both agreed on the rules and strike points. During the duel, the rapier hit the femoral artery of the kendo master and the kendo master hit the top of the head of the fencer a second later. Both masters agreed that the rapier was the superior weapon.

[danfg]

If I time travel to ancient Japan with a rapier, I'll know what to do now

[lefloidNemesis]

This is probably my favorite video of skall, and maybe hema youtube in general.